A day after Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the European Commission has reminded Belgrade that it must more closely align its policies with those of the European Union, including the implementation of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.
"As a candidate country, Serbia is expected to harmonize its policies with EU objectives, including energy and foreign policy, and to be a reliable partner that follows the same strategic direction," European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier told Radio Free Europe.
He said that the EU's position on candidate countries' relations with Russia is "always completely clear."
"Relations with Russia cannot develop as if everything were as before with the Putin regime, and this in the shadow of Russia's aggressive, unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine," Mercier said.
His statements followed a September 26 phone call between Vučić and Putin. The conversation took place a day before Vučić resigned as president of Serbia, as he is the candidate of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) for the post of prime minister in the October 25 snap elections.
After his conversation with Putin, Vučić said he believes the agreement on the supply of Russian gas to Serbia will be extended. The current short-term agreement expires on September 30. Serbia imports more than 80 percent of the gas it consumes from Russia.
Belgrade has not reached a long-term agreement on gas supplies since the previous three-year contract expired in the summer of 2025. Since then, deals with Moscow have been extended for short periods. The current agreement was extended in June for three months. The European Commission said it was aware of the conversation between Vucic and Putin.
Referring to Vučić's statement that the next president of Serbia will have to take care of the country's interests and maintain a balance in relation to important actors in international politics, Mercier recalled the obligations that Serbia has as a candidate country for EU membership.
According to him, Serbia's decision to apply for membership signifies a commitment to harmonize its policies with the EU, including foreign and security policy.
"Serbia's compliance with our Common Foreign and Security Policy continues to be significantly lower than that of other candidate countries in the Western Balkans," Mercier said.
He added that Serbia should, as a priority, intensify efforts for a "more sustainable and significantly higher" level of harmonization with EU policy, including sanctions against Russia.
"We want to be able to count on Serbia as a reliable partner," he said.
The European Commission said the EU is increasing support for the Western Balkan countries in the field of energy security, with the aim of reducing dependence on fossil fuels and diversifying sources and supply routes. According to Mercier, this would enable countries in the region to better integrate energy networks and access energy from different sources.
"After the start of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine, we saw how important this is and what problems it can cause for every European country, including Serbia," he said.
The EU aims to gradually and effectively stop importing Russian gas and oil by the end of next year, while it expects candidate countries to adapt their policies to this objective.
Serbia's EU accession negotiations have stalled, among other things, because it has not sufficiently aligned its foreign policy with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy. Serbia has not joined the EU's sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Its level of compliance with EU sanctions policy is around 60 percent./REL
